Container



April 28, 1942. I w R, ox 2,281,303

CONTAINER Filed March 2, 1940 Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UEN-ZIT'ED STATES?FFICEE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved container especially intended forthe packaging of merchandise.

Since the development of jvariousplastics suited to the packagingofgoods, the use of suchmaterialhas spread ,rapidlyas the valueof atransparent containerindifierent new fields hasbeen quickly recognized.An. objectof the present invention, therefore, isito provide a novelcontainer of this kind for cigarettes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container wherein thetips of the cigarettes will be visible vat one .end of thepackage atleast, and wherein .thecontainer may be conveniently loaded and sealed.

Still another object. of the invention. i e-p vide a containerembodying, ameans wherebythe container maybe easily, and, quickly openedto permitready'. access to thecigarettes.

A'further object of theinvention is to provide acontainer .whereintheoperation of openingthe container will cause a flap -,t o bedefined,

which flap will normallyserve to prevent accidental lossofcigarettes'from the package.

And the invention-seeks, asastill further obe ject, .to provideacontainer which will be neat and attractivein appearance and which maybe produced economically.

Other. and incidental objects. of the invention will appear during thecourse of the following description of the invention, and in the draw-Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the body of thecontainer is formed.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the containerbody as well as the capemployed, the parts being detached.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the containeris loaded.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the container loaded and sealed.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the containeris opened.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the manner in which cigarettesmay be extracted from the container.

Figure '7 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the cap.

In the drawing, I have shown my invention embodied in a container forcigarettes and will so describe the device. However, as will beappreciated as the description proceeds, the invention may be embodiedin containers for various other commodities such, for instance, as

candy, chewing gum or other articles of merchandise, and .I do not,therefore, wish to be limited in this regard.

In Figure ,1, I have. shown an oblong blank ID at one v end of which-isa flap. while, at the lower margin of the ,blank appropriate slits ,de-

fine flaps 1-2 and 13. At the upper margin of the blank is a ,more ,orless narrow lip M and formed at thebase of said lip is a shoulder I5.Preferably, the blank I0 is formed of suitable plastic materialpossessing the necessary resiliency anclcapable of being sealed eitherby heat or an appropriate cement. Several so-called plastics areavailable and choice may depend upon which is bestsuited to the purpose.For

certain adaptations of .the invention, however, foil, paper or othersuitable material may be found expedientand, as .wilLbe appreciated, byproperly printing a sheet of the material, several of the blankslll maybe fashioned therefrom, simultaneously.

.As SeeninFigure-Z of thedrawing, the blank i0 is. folded toproduce arectangular containerbody I6, the ends of the blank being connected by.th'efiap [I securedeither bythe application of heat ,or ,bycement,astound. expedient. Thus, as wilLbe noted, the lip M'is disposedtoextendabout the upperend of the container-body while the flaps. l2 and [3provide side and edgefiaps atthelower end of'thebody.

In. conjunction with the bodyflfi, Iprovide a rectangular cap ll, shownin detailin Figure 7 of the drawing. This cap is provided with a sidewall l8 and a top wall 19 and is molded as a complete unit preferablyfrom plastic material of the character previously noted although,

however, other materials may be employed if possessing similarqualifications. In any event, it is intended that the cap shall be amoulded unit. Furthermore, the cap is preferably transparent, which mayor may not be true of the body l6, depending upon choice. By forming thecap I! of the same material as the body it, however, it is conceivablethat, if so desired, the cap and body may be moulded as an integralstructure, thus eliminating the blank It. Similarly, for certainadaptations of the invention, it may prove advantageous to mold the capand body separately.

Formed in the side wall I8 of the cap at one end thereof are guidegrooves 20 defining an intervening tear band 2| which terminates at oneend in a tab 22 free at its outer extremity. Thus, the tab may bereadily grasped for tearing the band 2| from the cap and, as will benoted, the grooves 2Q are joined at the base of the tab and at the endof the band opposite the tab by like grooves 23 so that the tear bandmay be easily torn free of the cap. In some instances, it may proveadvantageous to form the band 2! somewhat thicker than the walls [8 andI9 of the cap in order to provide additional strength in the band itselfso that the band may be certain to tear free Without breaking and, ofcourse, as the cap is a moulded unit, the increase in the thickness ofthe band may be added either at the inside or the outside of the cap, asfound desirable. Formed on the top wall IQ of the cap, medially rib 24which extends across the plane of the grooves 23.

It is now to be noted that the cap I! is shaped to snugly fit over thelip I4 at the upper endof the body l6 resting against the shoulder l atthe base of said lip. Heat may be applied for connecting and sealing theparts or an appropriate cement may be used. Thus, the cap willeifectively close the container at its upper end. As suggested in Figure3 of the drawing, the container is then filled or loaded withcigarettes, when the flaps l2 and iii are folded down and sealed, eitherby the application of heat or an appropriate cement, to produce thefinished package shown in Figure 4. As will be observed, the upper endsof the cigarettes project into the cap I! and are readily visible and,if so desired, the construction at the upper end of the container may beduplicated at the lower end thereof, in lieu of the flaps l2 and I3, sothat the container would be provided at both ends with caps throughwhich the ends of the cigarettes could be seen.

To open the container, the package may be held as suggested in Figure 5of the drawing, when thetab 22 is grasped and the band 2| torn free. Aswill be perceived, this operation will also serve to free the adjacentend portion of the top wall I 9 of the cap I! to provide a flap 25stifiened by the rib 24 to normally lie against the ends of thecigarettes therebeneath. Accidental loss of cigarettes from the packagewill thus be prevented. However, as suggested in Figure 6, the flap 25may be readily flexed back when one or more cigarettes may beconveniently grasped and withdrawn from the package. As will beobserved, the removal of the tear band 2| serves to appreciably shortenthe side wall l8 of the cap beneath the flap so that the upper thereof,is a longitudinally extending stiffening ing folded for closing the bodyafter being filled,

and a plastic cap moulded as a preformed imperforate unit to mate withthe body and shaped to fit over said lip united therewith by theapplication of heat, said cap including a side wall having spaced guidegrooves indented therein to define an intervening tear band terminatingat one end in a tab free to be grasped for manually tearing out saidband.

2. 'A cigarette container including a pliable container-body embodying ablank fashioned to provide a lip at one end of the body and flaps at theopposite end of the body capable of being folded for closing the bodyafter being filled with cigarettes, and a plastic cap moulded as apreformed imperforate unit to mate with the body and shaped to fit overthe outside of said lip and secured thereto, the body being shorter thanthe cigarettes whereby corresponding ends thereof project into the capand the cap being transparent for displaying said ends of the cigarettesto view.

3. A cigarette container including a containerbody, and a plastic capmoulded as a preformed imperforate unit to mate with the body and shapedto fit over one end thereof hermetically sealed thereto, said cap beingprovided with a top wall and a side wall which latter is provided aboutone end portion of the top wall with substantially parallel mouldedguide grooves therein connected at their ends by moulded transverseguide grooves to define an intervening tear band terminating at one endin a free moulded tab joined at its base with the band at one of saidtransverse grooves, whereby the tab may be pulled for tearing the bandfree to be severed at its ends from said side wall at said transversegrooves and along its longitudinal edges at said parallel grooves andrelease said end portion of said top wall to provide a retaining flapoverlying the ends of cigarettes therebeneath.

WILFRED R. FOX.

